Over the course of a few months, we've learned a lot about the upcoming hit Grand Theft Auto 4 from Rockstar North for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 (PS3), from gameplay to release date and even a glimpse of the title's plot. However, the ones below seem like the biggest yet.

Before the juicy part though, we have to warn you that we just raised two of our biggest and reddest flags that stand for "Rumor Alert" and "Spoilers Ahead". It's up to you if you want to continue reading or not. With all that jazz said and done, here goes...

According to poster Jadex9 from the GameFAQS boards, the main character of GTA IV is not actually Nikko Bellic but his cousin Roman Petronov. Petronov went to Liberty after having problems with the paramilitary/Mafioso hybrid wing in Estonia. He then invited Bellic to ask for help with his problems with shady characters trying to get into his Taxi-Firm Roman works on a co-operator term.

To be able to familiarize yourself in the game, a couple of prologue missions will be available at the start. These are where you'll play as Nikko Bellic. Before the prologue ends, Nikko goes to his cousin's associate, Mosha, to recover drug money from one of the gangs in Liberty known as Carta Once (Card 11). This gang is based from the Columbian Cartels in GTA III and real-life gang MS-13.

Whether you like it or not, Nikko Bellic will die during this encounter. On the other hand, Roman Petronov will feel guilt and grief because of these events and will eventually turn into a criminal and a "working man". If it turns out to be true, the background story is actually gripping.

And if you really want to know more, here are other spoilers provided by poster Jadex9:

• There are three helicopters in the game (all respawn): one police cruiser, one for the Liberty Tree News paper which also became news channel WILC, and one that's owned by a person you'll be working with for most of the game.
• Bikes are out, but six motorcycle types are in.
• C-11 will be a HUGE enemy in the game.
• The Russian and Italian Mafias are at war and you'll get to do missions for both.
• Maibatsu has become a major player in Liberty City, and Monstrositys are the norm in upper-middle class areas.
• You will be mugged/lacked/lumped/begged for money/held-up/car jacked and possibly initiated into three different gangs, where you will be able to climb the ranks, through their own set of missions.